Engines of Destruction

There have been countless siege engines over the ages – Mangonels and Onagers, Scorpions and Ballistae, Battering Rams and Siege Towers.

They range from the simplest Battering Ram, a large tree trunk used to knock down gates, Perfectly balanced Trebuchet, capable of hurling huge rocks with great accuracy

Some of them were simply used to knock down walls or gates, so that an attacking force could enter a besieged city.
Some of these weapons have also been used to fire jars of burning liquid, or carcasses of dead beasts, to kill of the enemy.

To prevent an endless list of names, this article will discuss 3 main categories of siege engines, giving the operating principles behind them, and a few examples for each type.